Handicapped Plate Question????

[BigFish]

It happened again to me today and I am getting tired of seeing it! I am walking from a supermarket and this woman pulls into a handicapped space outside the store! She had her young daughter with her and a tag hanging from the mirror but somehow I knew neither one of these people had a physical issue! So sure enough...I watch them get out of the car and they had no problems at all!!! Walked in just fine, little girl hopping and skipping!!! My issue is is it legal for these people to use these handicap spots if the handicapped person is not in the vehicle with them????? I see this all the time!!!! I see more people doing this than I see actual handicapped people using these spots!!!! Whats the law here?

[Redsoxticket]

Larry, the individuals that appear to be healthy to walk are the owners of the tags. If these people gave up their tag it would be like you not disable therefore you don't need a disability check. Like that is going to happen. It is sad to those that are actually handicapped and the tax payers for allowing the scams to continue.

[BigFish]

How do these scumbags aquire these tags???!!! Doesn't the state inquire when they apply?!?!?!?

[Joe]

http://www.myparkingpermit.com/stockpermits.asp
Fifty bucks and you can design your own tag. I'm surprised they can get away selling them. I'm not condoning in - but I bet they do a heck of a business.

[Backbeach Jake]

I think some of those folks may have breathing problems, COPD etc..
I'm not sure what bothers me the most, the 4 punks who use Grandma's car with a tag, or the 10 spaces with no one in it.

[Raider Ronnie]

Maybe you should start carrying a hand gun and shoot these people when you see this !

[Raider Ronnie]

Just down the road south a bit from Gillette Stadium there is a dunkin donuts that has a very tight parking lot. (near the Foxbobo state police barracks)
MANY mornings i've been in there on the way to work that I've seen one of your Pats players parked their tricked out Denali or Escalade in the one single handi cap spot they have !!!
Can't miss them with the darked out windows, BIG tires and wheels, and usually lic plated from some state like south Carolina, Florida, ect...

[BigFish]

The people I see never have any oxygen, cane, walker or wheelchair.....and if you ain't got one of these....get the "F" out of that spot!!!!

[spence]

I used to do that with my mom's pass all the time in highschool until I got caught

People have them for a variety of reasons and I believe some can be temporary. Although if I had one and didn't really need it any more I can't see using it. Pretty lame...

-spence

[Tagger]

I work with guys from up North (New Hamshire) who get handi cap tags and park at any meter in Boston and don't feed it all day long,, everyday and never get a ticket ,, More and more people are doing it .. Its working for them .. One of the guys has a second home ,, a vacation home,, he got from suing everyone he could . Yup scumbags ,, and they seem to be out numbering us .. They weren't raised right ..

[Swimmer]

If you use a handicap placard that is issued to someone else, like you borrow grandma's ride, and park in a handicap spot without the person being in the vehicle that the placard is issued too you, if caught, will lose your license for six months. The fine is hefty also. But the fine can always be cwof by a lenient judge, but the loss of license is a registry action that cannot be reversed by a judge. I believe all of the placards now are issued with a picture of the person it is issued to on the reverse side of the placard. Also the placard can be confiscated and the person it was issued to can be made to apply for a new one.

[BigFish]

So if I see someone doing it....can I call them out on it and perhaps phoen the authorities????

[Slipknot]

Swimmer is correct
It is ILLEAGAL if the handicapped person is NOT in the car and they park in a handicapped spot.

Originally Posted by BigFish

So if I see someone doing it....can I call them out on it and perhaps phoen the authorities????

ya, good luck with that one

[BigFish]

Well I can say something to them at least!!!

[stripersnipr]

i know someone with MS. It's not real apparent by loooking at them or watching them but I know every step they take is painful. They can walk fine for a short distance but after that they have to stop and wait for the pain to subside before going further. Things aren't always the way they appear.

[BigFish]

I realize that.....I also realize when someone is a scumbag!

[MAC]

These come with a security slide to cover the picture so it may not be apparent if the placard belongs to the driver. Some do not use the cover though and if you see it and the pic doesn't match, go for it. Or better yet call the boys in blue. Those spots are there for a reason and it sux when people take advantage.

Loss of license for 6 months is nice. make an offender think about what he or she did while bumming rides or walking.

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by MAC

Loss of license for 6 months is nice. make an offender think about what he or she did while bumming rides or walking.

Bring back the wooden stocks in the center of town .. put there heads and hands thru,, locked down for public flogging .. Some people ,,shame has to be induced ... No Scruples

[Backbeach Jake]

Some folks have no shame. I watch people, it's unbelievable what you see if you pay attention.
Went to buy a new pair of work boots at w-mart. Been 2 years and mine are leaky. Oboy the last pair of what I want in my size. Opened the box and someone had left their old rotten boots in the box. Jenn gagged, I was pissed. People play for the "get over". No honor in this culture anymore.

[gone fishin]

Larry HP tags are issued in MA with a doctors report only. The tag is not an easy thing to obtain. The law states that the only time a HP spot can be used is if the person who owns the tag is in the auto. The tag has the person's picture on it and a expiration date also. The penalty for using another persons tag is loss of tag and a $500 buc fine.
If you see someone using the tag illegally you can note the time, location used and notify the registry - they have to investigate the complaint. If there is a cop around you can request him to check it out. You also have the right to ask to see the picture and if it doesn't match you can call a cop right there. Use your cell.
Another way is to tell another person who has a HP tag. Believe me, that person will be all over them like flys on s-it. A person who has a legitimate plaque guards it like you wouldn't believe.
On the other hand - some HP people look just fine, but the tag is issued for a reason not apparent to the eye.

[Slingah]

things might not be what they seem..

[Raven]

i am permanently handicapped as a result of jumping off a ladder to avoid several thousand hornet stings and shearing my tibia clear off
requiring two operations of screw implants and then screw removal
and of course arthritis sets in to this type of injury... i unfortunately landed on my right heel with my leg locked straight and hit the asphalt with 2000 pounds of force...
=======================================
and it's not always apparent what my handicap is because in the morning when my ankle (which is basically permanently sprained)
is "fresh as a daisy" from a good nights recuperative sleep, i walk perfectly fine,
but as the day wears on i can start limping and need to have that close proximity to the store entrance to avoid walking across the whole damn parking lot when the establishment is totally Packed.

i no longer need a cane but will have my handicap placard for life.
my disability isn't ever going to go away. Some days i walk as normal as anyone on this board and probably can still kick down a door if pissed off in a major way but with serious repercussions to follow like ending up back on crutches for a day or two or longer
for doing something so stupid in a state of uncontrollable rage.
[[[[ a JOEY ]]]]

it's as changeable as the friggan weather...one day fine, the next day your absolutely fuked...and you never really know when it may occur and your forced into designing your day's activities around it's peculiar attribute to suddenly fail you without warning.

like say i step on a small pebble or a chunk of ice or an acorn and i
turn my ankle just a tiny bit.....that's all it takes sometimes ....so i have to carefully watch exactly where i place my right foot always.

does that mean i can't march down a beach to go surf casting for stripers carrying all kinds of gear... maybe or maybe not....you never know...its just the luck of the draw or the bad luck of the day...... i can no longer even take motrin for it because it was destroying my innards...so i had to re-adjust my mental tolerance to pain
and learn to suck it up... although sometimes i wish i had a pair of collapsible crutches in a backpack just in case of an emergency.

do i see people who are obviously using a relatives handicap placard
on a daily basis....you betcha... same as all of you... do i think they are scumbags...well ....if they run into the store absolutely...
but if they walk...i'm not so sure... and i give them the benefit of the doubt because to most people who observe me walking i look perfectly normal...and the looks i get sometimes are like shooting daggers in their eyes..... so i know the feeling ...trust me on that.

the people who i think or know are scumbags are the one's who
park in a handicap parking space who don't have a tag or a handicap plate either...and i always wanna stab their tire's with my ice pick....

the rule's are BTW: that the handicapped person must enter the store (or exit the vehicle) to be able to use the handicapped space and can't just sit in the car while their spouse goes in...

do i use the handicapped space everytime i go out? NOPE
i only use it when my ankle is already killing me and the number of steps i can take are numbered.... i can do anything you guys can do... it's just that i run the risk of some serious pain as a consequence later on....and usually theres a very high price to pay.

i hope this true account clears up some of the mystery for ya.

[justplugit]

I know a guy from another state that got a handicapped license plate, how i don't know cause he's not handicapped, and milks it for all it's worth.

Thinks it's cool, but aside from the privilege's ,why does he want everyone he passes think he's handicapped. How is that cool.

[timf]

Living in the North End, where there are limited handicap spaces, it pisses me off as well.

That being said, I also am dating a girl with MS who has a placard but tries not to use it. Like Raven, but not as severe, she looks fine but she gets tired quickly and you then see the effects. Just like everything else, welfare/taxes/fishing tourneys, there are people that will work harder to cheat than they will for anything else.

Loss of license and big fine works for me.

[The Dad Fisherman]

My mother can legally apply and recieve one but chooses not to...My Dad does most of the driving....Nothing Irks me more than someone parking in a handicapped spot and practically Dancing out of the car when they park.

[thortum]

Your question was "is it legal..........", answer is NO! The person to whom the handicapped card was issued has to be in the car [or being picked up]. It's not for their friends & relatives to use to go shopping. I'm not a lawyer though.

[HESH2]

had a friend who had one.big normal looking guy who walked well.had diabeties and both his legs at knees had been removed.he had sticker and would park and walk into store and some people would make a comment about him in handicap spot.eventually disease killed him.so alot of times its not what it looks like.

[Swimmer]

I don't think anyone here is knocking anyone, whether they have an appearance of good health or not, from possessing a HP placard.

My only other concern now that it has been brought up though is, what about when the handicapped person is in the vehicle, has no intention of getting out of the vehicle at the store, and has just gone to the store for the ride to get out and still utilizes a handicapped parking space whilke the person with them goes into the store to get what they went for. Been there, seen that.

My father didn't get one for years , but had polio. He didn't want anyone to think he was handicapped. Maybe thats why he went into the Army and almost made it through boot camp before his legs gave out.

I have an aquaintance who went to the registry in Boston to renew his CDL license. His wife has emphysema bad and has a placard. This nitwit parks right in front of the front door in an HP spot with a state trooper standing right there, without the wife being in the car. Goes inside, renews his CDL, albeit a short-lived renewal, and goes back out to his wifes car and tries to drive away. Trooper had allready checked on who the placard was issued to. Lost his CDL license right there. Vehicle was towed, because Peter could no longer drive. Placard was confiscated, but given back to Kathy the wife. Duh, out of work for six months.

[Raven]

for bringing up this thread because i myself wasn't aware of either the hefty fine or the loss of license for 6 months deal...and there has been on occasion a time or two my wife has used my placard to grab the last HC space at work because it just happened to be left in her car.

the company has moved a whole bunch of people from boston to her location and it's like a game of musical chairs trying to find a parking space there now. Otherwise you have to take a company shuttle from a parking lot so far away it's to far to walk.

after cluing her in about these serious penalties she stated she will no longer jeopardize her privilege to drive.

[Nebe]

how about the handicapped %$%$%$%$%$%$%$s who fish everyday?